


Forever (Stamps)

by bangyababy



Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Canon Divergence - Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Love Confessions, M/M, Missing Scene, Remixed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-04-20
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:22:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23745250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bangyababy/pseuds/bangyababy
Summary: Before Bucky went into Cryo he left Steve a letter. Upon waking, he gets one in return.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Comments: 22
Kudos: 61
Collections: Stucky Remix 2020





	Forever (Stamps)

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Letter](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20412238) by [Huntress79](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Huntress79/pseuds/Huntress79). 



> I really loved The Letter by Huntress79 because 1. I'm a sucker for love confessions and 2. LOVE LETTERS. So I hope you like my remix! 
> 
> Thanks to ND for the beta.

He registered the feeling in his left big toe first. Always that toe, the first to awake and the last to fall asleep. Why the toes, he had sometimes wondered in those brief moments of clarity between forced sleep and consciousness, when he fought desperately to keep awake, to stay lucid by wriggling his left toe. A minuscule act of rebellion. Such a small, overlooked part of the body but without it, everything would be out of balance. That’s what they used to tell him—without him, the world would be without balance. 

He was a left big toe. 

Feeling travelled up his legs and into his arms and he took stock of himself. Nothing seemed to be missing. Well, nothing new, anyway. 

He told himself it was time to remember, and something in his bones told him this would be the worst bit. 

Where was he? Just out of Cryo, that much was clear. He finally gathered the courage to open his eyes, and instead of seeing masked white men in lab coats, he was alone. The room was cool and dim, there wasn’t much but the bed he was laying on and a table with water and crackers and a tv in the corner. Wakanda, he remembered. Not Hydra. He was safe for now. 

But who was he?

His heart stuttered for a moment, as if anticipating a blow, but then it came like a lightning strike. 

_ Bucky _ . 

His name was Bucky. Bucky Barnes. James “Bucky” Barnes. He was from Brooklyn, his best friend was Steve Rogers. He was a sniper. He hated onions. He…

The information kept coming. He remembered Steve finding him in Bucharest, fighting Stark’s kid, fleeing to Wakanada. The princess, Shuri, saying she could help him. Going back into Cryo. The last glimpse of Steve’s face before he fell into Cryo sleep. 

He tried to remember meeting Steve and it was there, but then he tried to think of the alleycat that Steve had been trying to protect when they first met and nothing….He knew there was a cat, he  _ knew _ but when he tried to think of what it looked like there was a blurry ball of darkness. 

Just like with his father’s face. His first kiss with Irene Dunhill. The name of his 10th grade teacher. 

There was so much that still wasn’t there. 

But he couldn’t focus on that. There was so much that he did remember and for that he owed a debt of gratitude to Princess Shuri and her team that he could never repay. 

There was a light knock on the door. “Come in,” he croaked without thinking. 

The door opened and the princess appeared, and Bucky sat up immediately. 

“You’re awake!” she beamed at him. “How do you feel?”

Bucky thought about it for a moment and said, “Good, I think.” 

Shuri snorted. “You think?” 

“Better than the last dozen times I can remember being woken up.” 

“Of course. I  _ do _ know what I’m doing.” Shuri reached over and grabbed the glass of water and shoved it in his hands. “Drink this. You’ve been asleep for four months and good news, Sergeant Barnes! I’ve cleared you of your trigger words. No power hungry colonizer will ever be able to use you again!” 

Bucky paused before he could take a sip of the water and fixed her with a look. “Are you sure?” 

“Am I sure?” she scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Shall we test it?” 

“It wouldn’t be a bad idea. We should get the king—”

But before he could finish his sentence Shuri said in a rather good Russian accent, “Longing, rusted, furnace—”

“No!” Bucky shouted, dropping his water. He reached to cover the princess’ mouth, but she dodged him easily. 

“—daybreak, seventeen, benign—”

“Princess,  _ please. _ ” 

“—nine, homecoming, one—”

Bucky looked around desperately for anything Shuri could use to defend herself, but came up empty. 

“—freight car,” she finished easily and Bucky froze. “Soldat, ready to comply?” 

“No,” Bucky whispered, tears springing to his eyes. “ _ No _ .” 

Shuri grinned. “And you doubted me.” 

“I—” Bucky began but couldn’t find any words to tell her just what she had done for him except for, “Thank you.” 

“You’re welcome.” She tapped at her bracelet and a holographic file appeared before her. “You’ll have to eat mainly shakes for a few days. Small things like crackers are fine, but don’t over do it or you’ll get sick. No physical exertion for a week.” 

Bucky frowned. “What do you mean? I was built for this.”

“You weren’t built, because you are not a machine,” she said simply and if she knew how much that comment affected him, she didn’t show it. “After a week we can see about getting you a new arm. Questions?”

A million, but he settled on, “Where’s Steve?” 

“I haven’t told Captain Rogers you’re awake yet. And I won’t until you say so.”

“He’s not in Wakanda?” 

“No. He was much too depressing to look at. The Widow and the Falcon are keeping him occupied.” She pulled something from her coat pocket. “But he left this for you.” 

Bucky looked at the letter in her hand and immediately remembered the one he had left for Steve before going back into cryo. Heart in his throat, he took the letter from her fingers. 

“Now come on, let me show you to your rooms.” 

“This isn’t it?” 

She gave him a look that could wither grass. “You think a guest of the Princess of Wakanda would be subjected to such a room? This was merely so you weren’t overwhelmed with your surroundings when you awakened.” 

Bucky shrugged and followed her out of the room, the letter in his hand getting heavier with each step. 

Shuri lead him to a tastefully decorated set of rooms and left him with instructions to sleep if he felt he needed it and to call if anything didn’t feel right. 

“Princess?” Bucky called as she headed for the door.

“Yes?” 

“If you don’t mind, could you tell Steve?” 

She gave him a soft smile. “Of course.” And with that she left him to get settled, calling over her shoulder that she’d come back later to check on him.

Bucky sat down on the bed with a weariness that betrayed his actual age instead of his physical and stared down at the envelope in his hand.  _ Bucky _ was written in Steve’s sharp, economic hand. 

He recalled the letter he wrote Steve, how he told him he’d loved him, afraid he’d never get another chance despite reassuring Steve otherwise. 

He took a deep breath and opened the letter, immediately panicking when he saw how short it was. 

_ Dear Bucky _ , 

_ You got some fucking nerve telling me this AFTER you’re asleep. I would have at least given you a goodnight kiss. Now you’re not even getting one good morning.  _

_ I miss you, Bucky. Please wake up soon so I can tell you how much you mean to me in person.  _

_ Yours,  _

_ Steve _

Bucky read the letter three times. By the fourth he could no longer see through his tears and he was laughing, truly elated for the first time in over a century. He laid down on the bed, pulling the letter to his chest and drifted into sleep. 

—

Someone was in the room. Bucky kept his eyes closed, feigning sleep as he assessed the person’s threat level. As soon as he recognized the person's footfalls, they were leaning over him, pressing their lips to Bucky’s forehead. 

Bucky opened his eyes just in time to see Steve’s face come into view. 

“I guess I got that good morning kiss after all,” Bucky mused before pulling Steve down into another. 

  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
